FIRST LINUX CAMP TO REINFORCE iSCHOOLS' SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS

FIRST LINUX CAMP TO REINFORCE iSCHOOLS' SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS

Recognizing the need to standardize the competencies of its trainers, the iSchools Project invited 36 instructors from 20 State Universities and Colleges (SUC) from all across the archipelago to the first Linux Camp to be held at the Aklan State University in Banga, Aklan from October 20-30, 2008. This assembly is composed of those who have hurdled the International Open Source Network (IOSN) Lab Assessment Exam last year.

The usage of Linux-based operating systems is an integral component of the iSchools Project, which views Linux as a reliable yet cost-effective operating system that is not restricted by expensive proprietary licenses and upgrades. These are precisely the characteristics that make Linux the perfect complement to the iSchools initiative.

This intensive ten day advanced Linux and Open Source training is in preparation for attendees who would eventually take the Linux Professional Instructor – 1 (LPI-1) certification exam. Once they qualify, participants will be certified to teach Linux to public high school teachers in their respective localities. In turn, it is intended that the teachers would transfer this knowledge to their students.

The Linux Camp was designed “to develop a pool of Linux Professionals who would help sustain the project,” shares Ms. Antonette Torres, iSchools project manager. The camp was made possible in collaboration with the UNDP, ASEAN and Dr. Alvin Marcelo, director of UP-Manila National Telehealth Center.

To ensure quality of instruction, the iSchools Project tapped 4 experts from government and academe. Mr. Eric Pareja, coordinator for technology for the National Telehealth Center, and Mr. Harvey Diaz, system administrator for the City Planning and Development Office of Surigao City, would serve as Senior Trainers for the camp. They will be ably supported by Mr. Francis Dimzon, a computer science professor from UP-Iloilo, and Mr. Reuben Campos, an IT officer from the UP School of Economics in Diliman. All are certified Linux Professional Instructors and advocates of the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement.

The iSchools Project is a flagship initiative of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology - Human Capital Development Group (CICT-HCDG). The project aims to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education, by providing training modules and increasing ICT access in the public high school sector. To date, the iSchools Project has endowed 360 computer laboratories across the Philippines.

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If you'd like more information on the topic, or to schedule an interview with Ms. Antonette Torres, please call Mr. Kris Rimban at (02) 920-0101 loc. 299, or email him at krisrimban@gmail.com.

Paradise Farms High School rises from ashes, crafts own luck

It is common for us to hear the saying “dapat hindi tanggihan ang grasya,” referring to how one should never refuse good fortune bestowed by others. How can this case be, especially if this free gift strings along with it a series of unexpected misfortunes?

Despite enjoying the luck to be part of the forty pilot schools blessed with a computer lab by CICT’s iSchools Project, Paradise Farms National High School (PFNHS) in Bulacan experienced its fair share of setbacks.

Plans to situate the lab in an accessible part of the school turned to naught as a fire tore through the building, particularly gutting the room intended for the lab. Thus, the schedule had to be pushed back a few months later, giving the school time to recover from the tragedy.

The actual installation was marked by problems as well. Out of the 21 units to be installed, the school found one unit with a defective hard disk, rendering it unusable. Replacement was promised but never came.

Despite this, PFNHS made the most out the limited resources they had.

The school persevered.

Teachers organized a funding activity for a printer which the students could now use to print out their reports. They have also begun looking into fully integrating ICT into their curriculum.

These serve as testament to the fact that PFNHS remains unfazed by the misfortune that has beset them. Truly, they took the adage to heart and took it one step further – their resourcefulness allowed them to craft their own good fortune and look forward to a better ICT-enhanced future.

Double Duty

Paradise National High School's computer lab is a flurry of activity as it serves a dual purpose. Aside from being a computer lab, the room serves as a temporary stockroom for the boxes of textbooks to be distributed at the beginning of every school year.

Inactive computer lab turned into school’s stockroom

An inactive computer lab welcomed iSchool's Monitoring team as it inspected Paradise Farms National High School (PFNHS) in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on June 25, 2008.

iSchool’s visit caught PFNHS by surprise as boxes containing textbooks were found stacked inside the lab.

iSchool representative Ms. Jocelyn Flores noted that “the implementation of the PC lab is not as expected, seem(s) like inactive use because (it) became stockroom for other items not given by CICT.”

The school’s principal, Ms. Violeta de Leon, however, clarified that since the lab was considered the most secure room in the whole school, it would likewise serve as the best storage area for the books for the meantime.

The iSchools project stipulated that the lab must be equipped with grills and locks for the windows and doors, thereby confirming Ms. de Leon’s assertions.

PNHS is one of the 40 recipients of the pilot implementation of the iSchools project.